Rack for neckwear



' June 2, 1942. H. s. LAZARUS RACK FOR NECKWEAR Filed April 7. 1941 FIG.2.

2'; FIGS.

INVENTOR. HETTYE S. LAZARUS BY M47 ATT NEY Patented June 2, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE RACK FOR NECKWEAR Hettye S. Lazarus, St. Louis, Mo.

Application April 7, 1941, Serial No. 387,205 4 Claims. (01. 211 1is) This invention relates to improvements in racks for neckwear, and more particularly to an improved low-cost article for holding in spaced relation a plurality of cravats or neckties, as for wardrobe use, for merchandising displays and the like.

An object of the invention is attained in a low cost article for retaining in supported aligned relation, a plurality of cravats or small articles of wearing apparel, the device being so arranged that the articles of neckwear are kept spaced from each other in easily visible positions, and so arranged as to prevent slippage of the cravats endwise from either side to the other, of a horizontal supporting element or rod. 7

A further important object of the invention is attained in a low cost device for displaying to good advantage, a plurality of neckties or other small articles of fabric or the like; the arrangement being such that the article may be employed as a packaging device in combination merchandising, as in the sales of assortments of mens neckties or the like.

A still further object of the invention in reference to its structural features, is to produce a device of the type and for the purposes expressed in the foregoing objects, and which is or may be formed of low cost, easily processed stock materials.

Yet another object of the invention, somewhat akin to the foregoing, may be stated as attained in a device of such nature and sufi'iciently low in cost that it may be utilized as a tie rack or the like, susceptible of compact packaging with a plurality of articles of neckwear as for advertising or of smooth, finished metal, free of rough edges or surfaces so as not to damage the silk or other fabric of the ties, and so that the latter may slide freely over the primary support; in conjunction with and as a part of the full attainment of resuit, the device includes definite, evenly spaced pockets, seats or divisions, each for the reception of one of a plurality of cravats or other small fabric articles for display or for wardrobe use.

The foregoing and numerous other objects will more clearly appear from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. lis a combined spacer and retainer element of flat sheet material, as formed for application to and over the primary support for the neckwear; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the assembled holder or rack showing a plurality of articles of neckwear in the position of use of the assembly; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lower portion of the device as viewed along line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4-is a vertical sectional elevation taken on a. plane indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing, the primary support of the several articles of neckwear consists, in a low cost embodiment of the device, of a normally horizontal, preferablymetal element of circular transverse section preferably of wire or rod stock, and indicated at Ill. The element It is characterized, at its opposite ends, by a pair of upturned, smoothly curved portions such as bights I I, and re-entrant metal portions'above' the bights proper are indicated at l2. Upwardly beyond the zones indicated by numeral I2, it is within the purview of the invention to provide any easily fabricated form of hanging support for the transverse rod or wire element Ill. Preferably such support, in order that the whole device when suspended, will be balanced on each side of its center line, is adapted to engage a single center anchorage of some form. In the present example the element comprising a part of, or assembled to the rod l0, consists of a more or less conventional wire garment hanger which is indicated generally at l3. In this embodiment, the inturned and upwardly extending arms, constituting continuations of the portions l 2, are indicated at It. These merge through shoulders l5 into a center horizontal portion Hi, the parts of which are twisted, according to usual constructions of garment hangers, in the zone I! whence a single length of wire I8 is brought outwardly to constitute a downturned loop for engagement with a supporting hanging anchorage such as a wall hook, substantially oentrally of the hanger.

Proceeding now to a description of the spacing and aligning element, constituting a second ary support or positioning agency for the several cravats carried by the rack, this element is generally indicated at 25. It consists by preference of a blank or strip or sheet material of relative rigidity, and yet of some flexibility so as to permit, in a manner later appearing, its application in self-supporting relation to the hanger [3.

For appearance and to prevent any possibility a primary hanger element l3 which consists of a 4 so-called boys size hanger of wire; in this case,"

careful experiments have indicated an optimum arrangement to consist of a strip 25 provided with six tie-receiving apertures, as shown. Having regard for the width of the broad end of adult' neckties of usual size, the noted arrangement results in a proportion and spacing of the seats for the several ties such that, the intermediate articles of neckwear. are not disadvantageously lapped and .concealed by those adjacently located.

Located somewhat above a line centrally intermediate the upper and lower margins of the strip 25,. for the purpose of assembly of this element to the. metal-hanger element, are a pair of slotted apertures 23, one just inwardly of each of the free ends of the strip or body 25. These apertures are located slightly above a true intermediateposition on the strip and preferably such that the lower extremities of the slots 28, receive and engage the protruding end portions and bights of the horizontalrod H The manner of assembly and relation of the parts when assembledare thought to have been fully obvious from the foregoing description of parts and features, but it may be noted that application of the strip 25 to the primary support or hanger, is effected by bowing the hanger,

and backwardly deflecting the free end portions of the strip indicated at 29, and lying outwardly of the slots 28. This enables the ready insertion, one at a time, of the bight portions H in slots 28, in such manner that the portions H overlie the forward faces of the outer ends 29 of the strip. The resilience of strip 25 is preferably such that it will tend to lie close and parallel to the rod H), with the latter preferably substantially diametrally traversingor bridging each of the apertures 21.

The size of the several openings 27, or their diameter if of circular form, is prefer-ably such that sufficient space is allowed on either side of the rod I between the rod and the adjacent wall portion defining the opening, so that a doubled neckband portion of the cravat, may be readily inserted through the strip on either side of the rod.

The manner of afiixing the neckties to the rack or holder is somewhat a matter of choice; a variety of arrangements being possible for variation of displays by utilizing the described structural arrangement of the rack. One advantageous arrangement consists in doubling the tie on itself, thence inserting the folded end thereof from the forward face of the plate 25, over the rod I0,'thence bringing the folded'end again forwardly through the plate or strip 25 below rod l0, and'downwarclly over the'forward face of element 25, substantially as suggested by Fig, 4. Many other arrangements of the neckwear on thehanger will however suggest themselves to those desiring to use the rack or holder for display'purposes;

A distinct advantage will have appeared in the described arrangement for holding a plurality of articles of neckwear along a horizontal primary support such as rod I0. Prevalently with any of the forms of cravat holders or tie racks, employing a horizontal support, there is a tendency, upon impact of either end of such support when centrally swingably mounted, to cause the ties to pile up or become badly overlapped, at one or the other of the ends of the support. This effect is entirely obviated by the present provision of separator portions such as 30, acting as spacers between the adjacent circular seats for the several ties.

Specific materials have been suggested herein largely byway of example in the interest of production. of the article at a low cost. It will be obvious, however, that instead of using a fiber or cardboard sheet or plate element 25, certain light weight, attractive forms of sheet metal may be employed, such. as thin sheet aluminum or sheet steel, for example. It is important however, irrespectiveof choice of materials, that not onlythe rod' I ll which'is preferably japanned or otherwise coated for smoothness, but also the wall. portions, defining the several openings 21, be characterized by smooth, preferably somewhat rounded edges, to avoid any snagging effect on the fabric'of the articles on the holder.

It will have become apparent that the device as described, lendsitself: admirably tothe dis-. playof other small articles as for merchandising purposes, the reference herein to neckwear serving only to indicate apreferred usage.

Although the device has been described by making specific reference to a preferred embodiment, such detail of description is to be understood solely in a descriptive and not in a limitingsense, many-changes being possible within the scope of the claims hereuntoappended.

I claim as my invention:

1. A holder orrack for retaining articles of neckwear in spaced alignment, the rack including-asmooth rod-normally suspended in horizontal position, afiat strip'element of relatively rigid material provided with spaced apertures for receiving-articlesof neckwear carried primarily by the rod' element, the ends of the rod being doubled back to overlie the body of the rod, so as to provide bight portions at the ends of the rod the-ends of the strip element being provided Withnormally vertical slots, and'the bight portions of the-rod extending through the slots to assemble the rod to the strip.

2. A holder for supporting and maintaining a pluralityof neckties in spaced relation and norm-ally horizontal alignment, the holder including a wire garment hanger characterized by a substantially triangular body port including a normally-horizontal cross bar along its lower e tremity, a strip ofrelatively heavy sheet material provided with a row-of spaced apertures for the ties or'thelike, and mea-ns-formedin part by apertured-end portions of-the strip and in part by strip gripping'portionsof wirefor fixing the position of the strip on-the hanger with the cross bar extended substantially diametrally across the several tie-receiving apertures of the strip.

3. A holder or rack for .grippingly retaining a plurality ofitems of neckwear in spaced relation in a row, as for displaypurposes, the holder consisting of ametal hangerhavinga smooth, norrn-ally horizontalcross bar constituting a primary support for the articles to be carried or displayed on-the holder; the hanger including a pair of hanger in fixed vertical and horizontal position with respect to the cross bar.

4. A holder or rack for grippingly retaining a plurality of items of neckwear in spaced relation in a row, as for display purposes, the holder consisting of a metal hanger having a smooth, normally horizontal cross bar constituting a primary support for the articles to be carried or displayed on the holder, said hanger having re-entrant ends and a suspending hook, a strip of relatively rigid but slightly resilient sheet material provided with a plurality of apertures spaced from each other along the length of the strip, the

apertures being of a size and the cross rod of a diameter such that each of the apertures is adapted to receive a doubled thickness of a cravat or the like, selectively above or below the rod, within any of the apertures, the end portions of the strip each being vertically slotted to receive the re-entrant ends of the hanger adjacent the ends of the cross bar, whereby the cross bar and strip are detachably assembled together.

HETTYE S. LAZARUS. 

